2 posts from August 20, 2013

August 20, 2013

As rookie Jose Fernandez closes in on the 170-inning limit that was set for him when the season started, manager Mike Redmond said he and pitching coach Chuck Hernandez are looking into creative ways to squeeze as much mileage out of him as possible without going over the cap.

“Could there be a spot in there where maybe we skip a start to pitch him an extra week into September? That’s a possibility,” Redmond said. “We’re trying to see how we can extend him as deep into September as we we can.”

Fernandez has pitched 145 2/3 innings so far, leaving him about 24 more innings shy of the cap, or about three or four more starts depending on how deep into games he goes in his upcoming starts.

“I’m not going to cut him out of a game because of the inning,” Redmond said “We’re going to let him pitch.”

Redmond joked that he is almost dreading having the rambunctious Fernandez sitting with him on the bench the rest of the season after being shut down.

“He’s going to drive everybody nuts, that’s what he’s going to do,” Redmond said, laughing. “He’s going to sit on the bench and he’s going to drive everybody crazy. I know we’re all going to wish he had more innings.”

____________

Marlins reliever A.J. Ramos used Yasiel Puig’s emotions to his advantage when he struck out the Dodgers’ young star on Monday. Ramos said he could tell from the Marlins bullpen how angry and frustrated Puig became after Fernandez whiffed him in the fifth.

“You’ve got to watch their body language sometimes. It tells a lot,” said Ramos, who took over for Fernandez in the seventh with the Marlins clinging to a one-run lead. “Yesterday, he was really frustrated, so I figured he wanted to jump on something quick. If I threw him a fastball, he might have crushed it.”

Ramos threw Puig three straight sliders. Puig swung at all three and struck out.

“I didn’t want to give him anything to take his frustration out on,” Ramos said. “If they’re frustrated, they want to get a hit. They’re pressing. He was out of his game. So you throw stuff that starts in the zone and goes out. I wanted to keep him off balance. So I made sure I threw sliders out of the zone.”

Puig went 0 for 5 on Monday, showed up late to the ballpark on Tuesday, and was fined by Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, who didn't start the talented Cuban.

Jose Fernandez got the better of Yasiel Puig in Monday's Miami showdown of rookie Cuban exiles, which -- for one night, anyhow -- brought some rare magic and excitement to Marlins Park. Though the upper deck was closed, the announced crowd of 27,127 represented the third-largest home figure of the season. There were 6,000 walk-ups, according to team officials.

They got their money's worth.

Puig was hitless in his three at bats against Fernandez and finished the night 0 for 5. After striking out in the fifth with runners at the corners, he became so upset with home plate umpire John Hirschbeck that he had to be calmed by Dodgers teammates Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe.

One game does not make or break a Rookie of the Year campaign. But Fernandez might be ahead in the straw poll if one were taken now. Check out this article by ESPN's David Schoenfield, who wrote that if the ROY vote were taken today, he would rate the edge to the Marlins' 21-year-old pitcher. Based on advanced metric formulas, Schoenfield points out that Fernandez holds a narrow edge over Puig.

The problems facing Fernandez in garnering top rookie honors are several. One, his season will soon be coming to an end when he reaches the innings cap the organization has placed upon him. He should receive no more than three or four more starts. Fernandez will turn into a spectator in September while Puig and the Dodgers remain in the national spotlight. Puig also plays in L.A., where there's no shortage of media hype. Finally, Puig is a position player who can dazzle and make the highlight reel on any given day. Being a starting pitcher, Fernandez can only show off once every five days -- and only a few more times, at that.

A few leftover stats from last night's game:

-- Fernandez improved his home numbers to 6-0 with a 1.40 ERA -- the best home ERA in the majors.

-- Fernandez set a club record by holding the opponent to five hits or less for the 11th consecutive start. Surprisingly, the old record of 10 straight belonged to Tony Saunders (1997).

______________

The lingering fallout from the departure of hitting coach Tino Martinez might have cost Chris Valaika a roster spot (see my story here). According to sources, the Marilns wanted to call up Valaika from Triple A New Orleans after Placido Polanco went on the concussion list. But Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria vetoed the consensus recommendation of the front office and coaching staff, and Gil Velazquez was called up instead.

Speculation within the organization is that Loria nixed the move because of sentiment for Martinez, his hand-picked choice for the job. Martinez had a verbal altercation with Valaika -- among a host of players -- that culminated in his resignation last month. If Valaika is paying the price for his involvement, it probably doesn't bode well for Derek Dietrich, either. Dietrich was confronted physically by Martinez, as well as verbally, and is now playing at Double A Jacksonville.